Heat wave hits California; expect triple-digit temperatures

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Crowded swimming holes, busy cooling centers and shuttered schools are all part of record-setting temperatures hitting California as excessive heat warnings were issued into Thursday night in many areas, especially the valleys and lower mountain elevations.

Hundreds of cooling centers are open in senior centers and libraries around California as high temperatures statewide, some triple-digit numbers, were expected from Sacramento to San Bernardino and Fresno to Fullerton in a heat-wave forecast, according to the National Weather Service.

With temperatures into the 100s inland and into the 90s in San Francisco expected, people were looking for ways to cool off.

Rikhardur Fridriksson, a tourist from Iceland, crouched under a row of trees near San Francisco's City Hall with a big map of the city unfurled before him. He had planned to spend the day walking around outside. But after just 45 minutes in the heat was looking for ways to spend the day indoors, possibly at museums.

"I thought it would be autumn here," he said. "I was definitely expecting cooler weather."

Nothing beats a cool lake on a hot day, said East Bay Regional Park District spokeswoman Carolyn Jones. "Apparently thousands of people agree. We've seen huge crowds at our 12 swimming pools, lakes, lagoons and beaches during this hot spell," Jones said.

A popular way to cool off is take the tour of the old Hazel-Atlas sand mine at the Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve in Antioch, where it's 57 degrees year-round, Jones said. "In fact, naturalists even suggest bringing a coat," she said

In Southern California, downtown Los Angeles hit 99 degrees before noon Wednesday. Triple-digit readings were already popping up across the region, where a swath of mountains, deserts and inland valleys were under a flash-flood watch as tropical moisture from Hurricane Linda off Mexico flowed in, creating a recipe for thunderstorms and sudden flows that swell washes and creeks into torrents.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power recorded the highest electricity of demand so far this year — 5,926 megawatts at 4:10 p.m. Tuesday with an even higher reading expected Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Sarah Wallin sat in the shade by a shallow fountain in a downtown park where her toddler rolled around and collected water in a bucket. She dipped her feet in the water.

"Our (air conditioning), frankly, can't keep up with the heat," she said.

Some schools are dismissing students early amid a heat wave and air-quality alerts.

South of San Francisco, the Campbell Union High School District, for the first time, ended the day early and banned outdoor activities.

But National Weather Service Forecaster Diana Henderson said there is relief in sight. "It won't be quite as bad toward the weekend. In (San Francisco) itself we are looking 86 degrees on Thursday and then it plummets down to 80 degrees by Friday," she said.

With the steamy temperatures, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District on Wednesday issued a Spare the Air Alert, which is used on days when it's hot and air quality is forecast to be unhealthy.

In Sacramento, Gov. Jerry Brown is advising Californians to take precautions during the year's first heat wave.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company is advising customers to set their air conditioning thermostat at about 75 degrees and to turn off unnecessary lights and appliances.

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Associated Press reporters Linda Zhang in Los Angeles and Sudhin Thanawala in San Francisco contributed to this report.